It seems to be rare for a classic-era jazz musician to live into his seventies or eighties, but Jimmy Heath presented a serious test of that theorem.  When he passed on in 2020, he was a healthy and productive 93.  His slight 5'3" staure belied his talent and creativity, placing him among the jazz giants.  Starting on alto saxophone in a musical family (brothers Albert and Percy went on to famous jazz careers), he switched to tenor while in his teens.  His native Philadelphia was a hot-bed of music and his band included players who would soon become stars in their own right, including John Coltrane and Benny Golson.  After stints with Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Art Farmer and Kenny Dorham, he organized the Heath Brothers band with his brothers while freelancing as both player and composer/arranger with extensive recording credits.  From the 1980s, he taught at the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, SUNY - and wrote string quartets and orchestral works to augment his jazz output.  Nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, he was a recipient of the 2003 NEA Jazz Masters Award.